Finally I can update y'all. I'm just short of the 300 mile mark in North Carolinessee. Even though in my mind I feel like I'm in NC, I have to remember that the trail ducks in between the two states here.
Hot Springs was awesome, and I left with a full belly. My favorite restaurant of the hike is now Take Out, where I ordered a "Flood Stage". Its a 1/2 pound burger with a grilled cheese for the top bun and a BLT for the bottom. Mmm!
Yesterday was my first T-storm hike, with occasional lightning flashes and rumbles of thunder. I had the honor of walking with Fungus, a 4th grader on vacation with his family. We had an awesome conversation for about 30 minutes. It turns out he is going to be in the Air Force when he grows up, then be an engineer for the Navy, and then open a law firm with his friend Kip. He also told me he is "muy muy fluente" in Spanish. It sure was a fun hike!
Today has been hot and humid, complete with flies buzzing around my head all day. But, at least it hasn't rained. This morning was pretty funky; I woke up in fog, then climbed out of it and had a view of the valley, completely covered in clouds! I'm hoping to make it another 6 miles or so before packing it in for the night. Happy 300! Woo!
-Ted
2:35 p.m. 4/8/2015
Ok, camp is set up, my stuff is dry, I'm in the hammock and free from the incessant bugs! I ended up going 17 miles today, and I'm camped just north of Big Butt Mountain (yes, that's the name) at mile 304.
There was something I was thinking about today, which I'd like to explore a little bit and see what y'all think. It happened this morning. As I said, I woke up surrounded by fog. Unfortunately for me, I had angled my tarp a little shallow overnight and the fog created condensation on the mesh of my hammock, which of course dripped onto my sleeping bag and made it all wet. So the day started on a low note for sure. I sorta had a cloud hanging over my head as I started the miles. It lasted until I got up to about 3200 feet and I broke through the fog and looked down on the valley I had come out of and basically saw a sea of white.
Why was it, I wondered, that we project our feelings onto the world? I was in a bad mood in the morning, and as far as I was concerned the whole world was too. Nothing was going to get better, because the whole world was foggy and cloudy and my stuff would always be wet. That's the thought process at least. But it's just not true, it's a false perception! At 3200 feet, I was in a new world, looking at the world I had just come from. It was a stark reminder that the present is not the best indicator of the future. Changes are inevitable, and burying yourself in the current situation is unproductive and unfair.
Anyway, that was my little soliloquy for the morning. I found it interesting. Maybe its just me.
- Ted
7:17 p.m. 4/8/2015
Day 26 4/08 Photos Here!
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